We're spinning Goldsmith's PATTON (1970) right now for the first time, and couldn't help but notice the similarity between the march theme from PATTON and Robert Folk's main theme from POLICE ACADEMY (1984). I'm referring to the theme in PATTON that begins at 0:50 on track 1 of the FSM CD, and reappears throughout the score.

Anyone else notice this similarity? I searched the forum database and didn't find any threads that mentioned both PATTON and POLICE ACADEMY.

We're spinning Goldsmith's PATTON (1970) right now for the first time, and couldn't help but notice the similarity between the march theme from PATTON and the main theme from POLICE ACADEMY (1984). I'm referring to the theme in PATTON that begins at 0:50 on track 1, and reappears throughout the score.

Anyone else notice this similarity? I searched the forum database and didn't find any threads that mentioned both PATTON and POLICE ACADEMY.

Hey Josh! Now that you mention it, I do notice similarities. You have good ears.

Hey Josh! Now that you mention it, I do notice similarities. You have good ears.

Thanks, henry. Being a child of the 80s, and a childhood fan of the POLICE ACADEMY films, I recognized the similarity immediately. PATTON is an amazing score, and I'm so glad we finally acquired the FSM CD. Now, if only those POLICE ACADEMY scores would see the light of day...

I noticed this just about a year ago. I've been familiar with the Patton theme for years, but have still never seen any Police Academy film beyond bits and pieces (though I think I might have seen the Miami one during a sleepover at a friend's house when I was little). But last year I saw part of the first one on cable, and as I heard the music I thought to myself, "Sounds like Goldsmith's Patton." Cool theme on its own, though.

Hey Josh! Now that you mention it, I do notice similarities. You have good ears.

Thanks, henry. Being a child of the 80s, and a childhood fan of the POLICE ACADEMY films, I recognized the similarity immediately. PATTON is an amazing score, and I'm so glad we finally acquired the FSM CD. Now, if only those POLICE ACADEMY scores would see the light of day...

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who would like this! FSM or LaLa Land could probably put together a good 2- or even 3-disc set featuring the different variations of the theme and major set pieces (between all seven films, I'm not sure how much music there is versus recycled music, etc.).

Some musical highlights off the top of my head include the theme for Police Academy 2 which segues into the scene with Tim Kazurinsky closing up shop, the airplane/balloon finale of 4, the jewel heist from the opening of 5, and the car/bus chase from the end of 6.

Hey Josh! Now that you mention it, I do notice similarities. You have good ears.

Thanks, henry. Being a child of the 80s, and a childhood fan of the POLICE ACADEMY films, I recognized the similarity immediately. PATTON is an amazing score, and I'm so glad we finally acquired the FSM CD. Now, if only those POLICE ACADEMY scores would see the light of day...

I also love the 80s, it's nice talking to others who also love the decade. I'm a pretty nostalgic guy, and miss the 80s along with the late 70s, yes I was only three.

I've read about this on the board before and I also believe reading somewhere that Goldsmith did notice this similarity as it just flipped a few notes around.

Allthough I notice the likeness of the pieces, they are hardly interchangable. They have been engraved in my memory as being themes on their own, and in this case I'd even have to say that I find Police Academy a more entertaining listen (especially the way the first main title switches to this dark jazzy urban sound).

Also I'll pick Robert Folk's comedy scoring over Goldsmith's any day, as that wasn't Goldsmith's best feature IMO!

And you simply can't make me pick sides, not when Mahoney, Tackleberry and Jones' are involved

I've read about this on the board before and I also believe reading somewhere that Goldsmith did notice this similarity as it just flipped a few notes around.

Allthough I notice the likeness of the pieces, they are hardly interchangable. They have been engraved in my memory as being themes on their own, and in this case I'd even have to say that I find Police Academy a more entertaining listen (especially the way the first main title switches to this dark jazzy urban sound).

Also I'll pick Robert Folk's comedy scoring over Goldsmith's any day, as that wasn't Goldsmith's best feature IMO!

And you simply can't make me pick sides, not when Mahoney, Tackleberry and Jones' are involved

By the way on a sidenote I can mention another thing, maybe not a similarity but rather a connection between Goldsmith and Police Academy. Michael Winslow who played Jones in Police Academy provided the voice to the gremlin character Stripe in Gremlins. and as you know Gremlins was scored by Jerry Goldsmith.

When I last year met Mr. Winslow, he signed my copy of Gremlins (I had not yet received my copy of John Morris' Spaceballs from LaLa Land that I had ordered back then, if I had he would have signed that one instead but anyway). When I told Mr. Winslow that I am a soundtrack collector he told me that he is in fact a big fan of the music to the Star Trek franchise (both movies and television). So there you got another connection since Jerry Goldsmith worked a lot with Star Trek over the years.

Some musical highlights off the top of my head include the theme for Police Academy 2 which segues into the scene with Tim Kazurinsky closing up shop, the airplane/balloon finale of 4, the jewel heist from the opening of 5, and the car/bus chase from the end of 6.

Thats amazing you remember all that, Scott - I fell asleep after Pol Acad 2! The first one was pitched as a general comedy film and wasnt too bad, but the later ones were weak, unfunny and very definitely for children only. Without doubt, the music was the best part.

Some musical highlights off the top of my head include the theme for Police Academy 2 which segues into the scene with Tim Kazurinsky closing up shop, the airplane/balloon finale of 4, the jewel heist from the opening of 5, and the car/bus chase from the end of 6.

Thats amazing you remember all that, Scott - I fell asleep after Pol Acad 2! The first one was pitched as a general comedy film and wasnt too bad, but the later ones were weak, unfunny and very definitely for children only. Without doubt, the music was the best part.

So its official then, the 80s are the new 60s? Hmmmm.

I'm 26 so I pretty much grew up watching the Police Academy movies either on HBO or network TV (the first one being R-rated and all and my mom being a bit strict about that when my brother and I were little).

Sadly, I even own the PA DVD boxset even though the disc for the seventh film (Mission to Moscow) would be better off used as a coaster on a coffee table. I haven't seen most of the films in their entirety in years.

I watched the first two films with friends a few years ago. The first one hasn't aged very well and has a very episodic quality to it. I can compare it to, say, Stripes for example (a much better movie) where the first half is introducing the characters, training, etc. and the second half has a conflict (the street gang in PA) that seems shoehorned in. And it's not directed very well either (no offense to Hugh Wilson).

The second film, which ain't exactly Wrath of Khan or Empire Strikes Back, was actually received much better by me and my friends. For whatever reason (this one introduces Bobcat Goldthwait and Tim Kazurinsky) it just seemed funnier. (I know, talk about damning with faint praise!)

As for the music, I was just rattling off parts that I remember noticing as a kid (before I got on this whole film score caravan).

And it's a shame about David Graf, who played Tackleberry. I hate to rain on anyone's parade but he passed away in 2001 of a heart attack. He was only 50!

POLICE ACADEMYstarts a bit like PATTON, but quickly segues into something far more reminiscent of Elmer Bernstein's ANIMAL HOUSE. It can be argued that Elmer's enormous success scoring some of the biggest comedies of the 1980s (AIRPLANE!, GHOSTBUSTERS, STRIPES) influenced most other composers into conscious, or unconscious, imitations of his style. Of course, Elmer was also imitating himself, as some cues, such as that underscoring Bluto's pirate antics at the end of ANIMAL HOUSE, and the main theme to STRIPES were derived from his Andrew Jackson theme in 1958's THE BUCCANEER.

I was familiar with the PATTON theme before Police Academy was even made, so when first seeing the film in '84, I immediately recognized the similarity and had a good laugh over it. It's an affectionate nod by the composer that hits the spot.

I've been a fan of the Police Academy march since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, so when La-La Land's CD of the score came out last year I snapped up a copy.

However, I'd been UNAWARE of Goldsmith's Patton music until I bought an old LP of it this month. As soon as the George C Scott speech finished and the main theme started, I thought "Hey! Hold on a minute! Police Academy!"

Going back to the liner notes for the PA score CD, it does imply that at one point Hugh Wilson temped the film with Patton music. And that Stripes was also in their heads because they tried to get Elmer Bernstein, but he was unavailable. So Folk must have been asked to "lean on" Goldsmith's Patton march ... and I think he leaned quite heavily. Hasn't stopped me liking the PA march though :-)

I remember years ago when I saw Police Academy during its theatrical run that I thought the Main Theme to be similar to Goldsmith's PATTON. I have always thought that was in good humor and intentional.